In general, a pipeline is separated into pipes and connectors (for connecting a pipe with another pipe), and its use varies according to a material used therein. When pipelines are used to transport materials, for example, clear water, sewage, gas, and oil, they can be referred to as water pipes, sewer pipes, gas pipes, and oil pipes, respectively.
Meanwhile, sewage denotes waste water, rainwater, industrial sewage, etc., and sewerage denotes the whole of pipes (sewer pipelines) and other structures and facilities (a pipeline, an additional facility, a sewage treatment facility, and a pump facility for supplementing them) installed to exclude or process waste water and rainwater. The sewerage consists of a collection and drainage facility in which waste water and rainwater flows and is collected, a sewage treatment facility in which the waste water and rainwater flows through the collection and drainage facility, a discharge and disposal facility in which the waste water and rainwater flows through the sewage treatment facility, and a sewer pipeline that connects these facilities to transport the waste water and rainwater.
Current management of most pipelines including water and sewer pipelines only maintains a design drawing after sales and installation, and confirmation and management of actual construction is not being performed well. In other words, it may be impossible to accurately check information on products related to pipelines such as production dates, manufacturers, and conditions, and also no one except a person who purchased the products may be able to know whether or not the products used in construction are recycled products or whether or not the products are used products.
In addition, there are not enough systems capable of accurately managing stocks, movement paths, and storage conditions of products, and it is not possible to know whether or not a design drawing corresponds to actual construction locations and specifications. Thus, without digging at the corresponding location, it is impossible to check this.
There is a great demand for systems in which such information can be readily input and checked, but thus far, no system has properly supported these functions. Also, when a system capable of managing such information is combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) information, etc., the accuracy and expansibility of the corresponding information can be remarkably improved, and thus there is an urgent need for a comprehensive management system for pipelines used to transport gas, oil, etc. as well as water and sewage.